Discussion Series 5: Being comfortable behind your drums

[@znice2002]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Chuck, thanks m.j. ;-)

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Absolutely man!

[@heynsenene]

As a snare drum enthusiast, i agree. A snare drum should "always be between your legs"

[@heynsenene]

Seriously though. With me, i have one over riding theory...can a t-rex play it? Seriously, i like all drums and cymbals to be within easy reach. Imagine your arms are only 1 foot long....thats what i like. To acheive that, i find that sitting ABOVE Your kit makes playing more easy and fun. I set my seat high and want a kit to set up low. Persobally i hate a seat so high that my knee breaks a 90 degree angle. So then, its up to me to put the rack tom on a snare stand and my snare drum on a stand that can go LOW. This way i can sit on my drums and be well above everything. This is probably why i love kits like "the breakbeats" by ludwig, catalina club by gretch, and the "cafe" kits by OdeRy.

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Right on. I've got the Breakbeats. I love them things for all the reasons you mentioned.

[@lew123drums]

Another excellent video Chuck. I'm forced (due to a nerve problem in the left arm unresolved after 2 cervical fusions) to convert to traditional grip playing after 45+ years of matched grip. Matched hurts unbearably after about 5 minutes, but I discovered thankfully (back in the gigging saddle after three years), that with traditional grip I can play without pain. Yes, two different muscle groups ARE involved, but reverting to the grip after so many years has required retraining for traditional grip playing. Your videos have been a tremendous resource ... thank you so much! Regarding this particular video, comfortable positioning of the snare drum is a question I've been wrestling with since beginning this journey. Tilting it slightly allows me to play rim shots, but makes the right hand feel uncomfortable because of the angle. Keeping it level is comfortable, but the rim shots require the dropping of the shoulder and weird contortions to make it happen. Any thoughts?

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Hey Lew, good to hear from you my friend. Well what I would recommend is to just use a slight tilt and then adjust the height of the stand to a position that feels comfortable for both hands. You could also try having the tilt slant in different directions instead of just left to right. Maybe have it tilt slightly away from your body in an angle. For a while now I've been having it tilt towards me ever so slightly. I don't always use rimshots so I like having the option to hit the snare in different ways depending on what I'm doing. Of course if you do this you have to make sure the tilt isn't too much or the angle of your left hand to the drum will cause problems. You just have to experiment. Maybe I'll do a video on this topic because it's a good one. :)

[@lew123drums]

Gonna give that a go ... thank you for the tips !

[@znice2002]

Do you already have a tuning video? Examples of what definitely won't sound right, won't project well, etc...

[@ChuckBarchuk]

Hey bud, I can definitely do one on tuning. The only reason I haven't is simply because there are so many tuning videos out there. But, that being said, if you would rather I do one I can definitely make it happen. :)